Envelop-sealer.



J. H.'BARROW.

ENVELOP SEALER. APPLICATION FILED DEC-28, 1914- 1,217,083. Patelited Feb.2 0,1917.

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JoHIv H. nerenow, or cnioaeo, ILLINOIS.

EnvELoP-sEAnEn.

- Specification of Letters Patent.

AppIieation filed December 28, 1914. Serial No. 879,283.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN HERBERT BAR- ROW, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Envelop-Sealers, of which the following is a specification. The main objects of this invention are to provide an improved envelop sealer; to provide an apparatus in which envelops may be stacked and then manually removed therefrom one at a time, the apparatus be ing constructed to moisten the flaps of en velops during their removal and is so arranged that in removing envelops by one hand with a sliding downward movement,

' the flaps willbe so positioned as to be con veniently sealed or pressed against the envelop when the envelop is passed'from one hand to the other by the operator; to provide means for causing the foremost envelop of a stack in the apparatus to be buckled or curved outwardly atone edge in order that theenvelop may be conveniently removed from the stack by a sliding motion in its own plane; to provide a spring-pressed pusher for urging a stack of envelops toward th discharge end of the apparatus, said spring-pressed pusher being constructed in sections which are adj ustable to vary the height and width of the pusher to accommodate different sizes of envelops; to provide said pusher with means for carrying the flaps of envelops into contact with a moistening device; to provide an improved moistening device carrying separate means by which an operator may moisten his fingers while removing envelops from the device; and to provide means for causing the envelops to turn slightly in their own plane when being removed in order that they will be received in suitable position so that they may be easily passed from one hand to the other inproper position that the flaps may be properly sealed against the envelops by pressure from the hand to which the envelops are delivered.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved envelop sealing device.

Fig. 2 is an elevation in longitudinal section. Fig. 3 is adetail in-longitudinal section of an-envelop turning and separating device attachedto the delivery end of the sealer.

lllany envelop sealing devices heretofore provided, required" the use of'power or necessitated the" operator moistening the gumme'd flaps of envelops by some manually operated device. The present apparatus'is designed to provide a magazine in which envelops may be stacked with their flaps'upstanding, and as the envelopsare removed singly from the device, the flaps through such act are moistened and may be conveniently sealed against the envelop by thehand of the operator to which they are delivered one by one.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, the frame of the device consists of a base 1, sides 2 and 3, and a tie-bar 4 secured to the side 2 and. at its other end resting on side 3. and provided with a slot 5 in which is mounted an envelop flap moistening device 6.

The base 1 comprises two parts 42 and 43 which are movable toward and away from each other for the purpose of varying the width of the device to accommodate envelops of different lengths. For such purpose the part 43 carries a pair of bars 7 which dove-tail into grooves 8 in the part 42 of the base and are slidable in such grooves. The base 1 and sides 2 and 3 provide a magazine in which envelops may be stacked, the latter resting on the base 1 on their lower edges. The part 3 of base 1 is provided with a groove/9 in which is mounted at the two ends of the slot arod 10. This rod passes through downwardly extending lugs 11-and12 secured to a rearwardly inclined envelop pusher 13, which is slidable along the magazine formed by the base and side walls. of the device. A coiled spring 14 surrounds the rod 10 at the rear of lug 12 hearing against-this lug and the rear end of slot 9, and therefore tends to urge the pusher 13 toward the front or delivery end of the device. The pusher is provided with a pivoted latch 15 which may be inserted in holes 16in the part 43 of the base for the purpose of retaining the pusher against the action of spring 14 whentenvelops are being stacked in the magazme.

The pusher 13 consists of a plate or block 17 resting on its lower edge on board 3 and extending lengthwise and vertically of the apparatus and having a rearwardly and upwardly inclined forward edge 18 to which is secured a section. 19 of the face of the pusher, which engages the rear of a stack of envelops. The pusher is made up of four sections 19, 20, 21 and 26, separated along a horizontal plane and a vertical plane. The sections 20 and 21 are laterally adjustable of sections 19 and 26 by means of bars 22 and t3. mounted on sections 20 and '21 respectively and which are clove-tailed and slidable in grooves 2 1 and 25 in sections 19 and 26 respectively. The sections 21 and 26 are vertically adjustable of the sections 19 and 20 by means of threaded pins 27 and 28 mounted on sections 19 and 20 re- -spectively, said pins being provided with nuts 29 which may be adjusted along the pins for the purpose of retaining the upper sections in the desired raised position. The section 26 of the pusher has aplate 30 fastened thereto by suitable means such as screws 30.1. The plate is curved upwardly and rearwardly from the pusher and is about the shape of an envelop flap. The object of this curved plate is to cause the gummed sides of the envelop flaps to rub against the pad or wick 31 of the moistening device 6 as the envelops are withdrawn from the device.

The moistening device 6 may be raised or lowered with respect to the pusher and secured in any desired position in the bar 41 by set screws 32. The moistening device comprises a compartment 33 in which the moistening pad is located and a compartment 34; for water in communication with the moistening pad. Threaded into the upper part of the moistener 6 is a cup-shaped member 35 adapted to contain a sponge by which the operator may moisten his fingers. The compartments 33 and 34 are in communication with each other by small apertures in partition 36. The flow of liquid may be increased if necessary, by slightly unscrewing the cup 35 and thereby permitting air to enter the compartment 34 around the threaded connection between the cup and the moistener 6.

Atits front end, the device carries a spring arm 37 for the purpose of limiting the forward movement of envelops under the action of the pusher, and also causing the lower left hand corner of the envelops to buckle outwardly clear of the curved separator ledge 38 on the forward end of the base 1. The outer end of arm 37 is depressed and is provided with a circular indentation 37.1, thus forming a smooth point of contact for hearing against the envelops.

This bending or buckling of the envelops occurs because of the pressure from the pusher 1.3 in connection with the resistance offered by the spring 37 to one side of and above the center of the foremost envelops. Thus, the envelops are held more compactly between the point of contact of spring 37 and the pusher than at the opposite side of the envelops. The separator 38 cooperates with the stop 37 and the inclined pusher 13 in bringing the foremost envelops in position to clear the forward bottom edge of the device so that they may be easily removed. The curved separator also serves to slide the foremost envelops relatively to each other,making them less inclined to stick together and resist separation.

Mounted on the front of side 3 is a metal plate 39, providing a limited space between it and the forward edge of wall 3, to prevent the removal of more than one envelop at a time. Plate 39 also serves to limit the forward movement of envelops under the action of the pusher and has a curved portion 4-1 pressed inwardly and lying between the plane of plate 39 and the front edge of side 3. The object of the inclined portion 11 of plate 39 is to act as a resistance to envelops as the same are dragged clownwardly and to the left by the hand of the operator, thus, by contact with the left edge of the envelops, causing the right hand edge thereof to turn slightly downward during their downward movement and finally bringing the envelops into such position that when grasped by the right hand of the operator, they may conveniently be passed d to his left hand in such position that the thumb of his left hand. will engage the face of the envelop and the remaining fingers the flap, pressing it in sealed position on the envelop.

In the operation of the device, it is first adjusted to accommodate the particular size envelops in connection with which it is to be used, as by regulating the distance b tween the walls 2 and 3 by sliding the two sections with respect to each other, then M means of the winged nut 10, the two sections of the base may be locked against further movement. The moistening device is set to the desired position in slot 5 according to the height of the envelops and also to insure that it lies immediately above the gummed portion of the flaps as the envelops pass beneath the moistener. The pusher 13 is made to accommodate the average small size envelops, but when the device is used with longer or wider envelops, the sections 20, 21 and 26 may be spread apart with respect to the section 19 by means of their sliding connection with the latter section either through the bars 22 and 23 or pins 27 and 28. The envelops to be sealed are placed in the magazine formed by the side walls and base of the device in front of pusher 13, which at such time may be retained in its rear position by latch 15. The envelops are placed so that their upstanding flaps face with the gummed surface forward. The pusher when released by raising the latch 15 into an inoperative position moves forward neath the moistening device 6.

under the action of spring 14, causing the foremost envelop to pass into position be- The operator with his right hand by frictional engagement with the foremost envelop, draws it downwardly and to the left, thus causing the gummed portion of the flap to become moistened through contact with the pad 81. This operation is repeated with one envelop after another, which are passed in succession to the operators left hand, and by pressure from the latter hand he insures the proper sealing of the envelops.

From the foregoing, it may be seen that the present invention provides an apparatus, the use of which permits the sealing of a great number of envelops in a very short time and without inconvenience to the operator in the matter of handling manually operated moistening devices, nor does it require the employment of other power than that afforded by the compression of spring 14 during the loading of the magazine.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention has been herein shown and described, it will be understood that numerous details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of this invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim 1. An envelop sealingv device, comprising a magazine for supporting a stack of envelops, a pusher normally urging the stackof envelops toward one end of said magazine, said pusher being provided at its upper edge with an upwardly and rearwardly curved envelop flap support, and a moistening device located above the path of the envelop flaps.

2. An envelop sealing device, comprising a magazine for supporting a stack of envelops, a pusher normally urging the stack of envelops toward one end of said magazine, said pusher being formed of a plurality of extensible sections whereby its height and width may be regulated, said pusher being provided at its upper edge with an upwardly and rearwardly curved envelop flap support, and a moistening device located above the path of the envelop flaps.

3. An envelop sealing device comprising a magazine for envelops, a springpressed pusher for urging envelops toward one end of said magazine, a stop for limiting the movement of envelops under the action of said pusher and suitably located to engage the foremost envelop in the magazine at one side of its center in order that the opposite side of such envelop will be bent outward slightly, a device for causing the envelop to turn slightly in its own plane when withdrawn in the direction of such plane, and a'moistener adjacent to the path of said flaps.

4. An envelop sealing device comprising a magazine for envelops, a pusher for urging envelops toward one end of said magazine, a member having a surface inclined to the direction of movement of the pusher in position to be engaged by advancing envelops to shift them edgewise transversely to their movement under the action of said pusher, and a moistener adjacent to the path of said flaps.

5. An envelop sealing device comprising a magazine for envelops, a rearwardly inclined pusher adapted to urge envelops toward one end of said magazine, a stop for limiting the movement of envelops under the action of said pusher, a curved separator ledge adapted to shift envelops relatively in their own planes when moved forward under the action of said pusher, and a moistener adjacent to the path of said flaps.

Signed at Chicago this 24th day of Dec.

Copies of this patent may be Obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

